A Murder of Crows
by DarkZero93
Summary: A murderous new vigilante begins targeting Gotham's criminals and Batman may be next...
1. Chapter 1

Batman: A Murder of Crows

Part 1

James Parrish

The sun had barely set and already Dom 'The Maestro' Janis's gang, the Black Shadows, was at work on their latest shipment of contraband. Dom watched his men as they scurried about their duties. All of them carried small arms and every one of them looked nervous and shaky.

Gotham harbor had been quiet for weeks. In light of the city's new shipping laws, ships had to be inspected for any form of illegal goods and nighttime patrols were becoming more and more common.

Not to mention that Gotham's illustrious defender of the night was targeting Dom and his gang.

"Any sign of him on the motion detectors?" The Maestro asked his lieutenant, John Wills. The latter shook his head.

"No sign of him boss," he told Dom casually and without fear. "We're clear for now."

Dom nodded and returned to watching his men work.

His thoughts turned to his nickname. People called him 'The Maestro' because of his day job as the conductor of Gotham's symphony orchestra.

_How did I ever get into this line of work?_ He thought. Dom didn't dwell on the thought though.

One of the motion detectors made a beeping noise, making everyone jump and reach for their guns.

"It's a bird," John told everyone, "not a bat." That drew a few nervous laughs from the men, but then more motion detectors began to beep.

A murder of crows began to swirl around Dom and his men. There must have been thousands of the little black creatures flying all around the Gotham harbor. Dom heard a splash, and then bursts of gunfire. Men screamed, and then a large black shape bowled into The Maestro.

He was then grabbed at the throat by a black gloved hand. Then Dom found himself looking up into an unfamiliar face.

The mask had no features save for a small engraved raven on the forehead. In every other way, the man looked like the Dark Knight. Yet it wasn't him.

"Who are you?" Dom asked him as best he could.

The vigilante smiled. "A murderous crow." Then he snapped Dom's neck.

"What have we got?" said Commissioner James Gordon, directing the question at one of the nearby detectives, a young girl by the name of Tasha Donnel. She was new, but she was already one Gordon's best.

"Twelve dead," Tasha replied. "Blunt force trauma killed those five men over there." She indicated five men near a large stack of crates. "One drowned in the harbor and the rest went down with gunfire."

"What about the Maestro?" Gordon asked her.

"Broken neck," replied Tasha. "Some witnesses reported seeing a bunch of black creatures flying around. Some say crows, but others…" She paused, biting her lip. "Well, other's say they were bats."

Gordon shook his head. "That can't be right. There has to be more evidence here. Sweep the harbor again."

"I did, Commissioner…nothing."

"The Crow," said a deep voice from the shadows nearby.

Gordon turned toward the shadows and saw Batman's unmistakable silhouette. "Scarecrow?"

"No," Batman replied. "The man goes by the name of Crow. He's referencing a murder of crows."

"How do you know that?" asked Gordon.

There was a pause. "I've been tracking the man as best I can. He's a professional killer, and he's targeting Gotham's criminal underworld." Batman stood up from his crouching position. "He leaves no evidence, and he's fast and efficient. Even Deadshot isn't as good as this guy is."

Gordon turned back to Tasha. "Sweep the harbor again, detective." Tasha nodded and walked away.

"How can you be sure that this isn't Deadshot?" Gordon then said.

"It's not the same M.O.," Batman replied. "Deadshot kills his targets at a distance. This guy was up close and personal."

"But he still used guns."

Batman ignored the statement. "This man is probably trained in martial arts and has experience in single combat."

Gordon nodded and looked back at the police cruisers in the distance. "I guess Deadshot's going to be given a run for his money, huh?" He looked back to find that Batman was gone.

"Every time," he muttered to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Part Two

_This is the fourth time the Crow has struck_, thought Bruce Wayne as he examined the small amount of data that he had collected from the crime scenes. The bat computer had been able to find no references to the Crow anywhere except in a recent newspaper column.

"Good morning, Master Wayne," said Alfred Pennyworth's voice from somewhere behind Bruce. He turned around.

"It can't be _that _late, Alfred."

"I'm afraid so, sir," Alfred replied as he set down a tray carrying Bruce's breakfast on a nearby desk. "I'll never understand how you can stare at a newspaper clipping and hope to glean nonexistent information from it."

Bruce shrugged. "Stranger things have happened, Alfred."

"Yes of course, Master Wayne," Alfred replied.

"We're dealing with an extremely efficient killer, Alfred," Bruce sighed.

Alfred nodded. "I assume that you said as much to the police commissioner?"

"I did." Bruce ran his eyes over the data on the screen again. "Finding evidence is going to be nearly impossible."

"It seems," Alfred then said, walking forward, "that this Crow character is targeting Gotham's criminals." He glanced at Bruce. "Is it safe to assume that he'll be attempting to execute the more psychotic ones, Master Bruce?"

"Hopefully we'll have a few more leads before that."

Raising his eyebrows, Alfred said, "Someone may know. Someone with more criminal connections than yourself."

"We don't need to bring her into this, Alfred," Bruce replied swiftly.

"She may already be a part of this act."

It had started to rain.

_And in Gotham_, thought Selina Kyle, _when it rains, it pours._ She jumped through the window of her apartment and shook of excess water that she had collected.

Her nightly forays into the wilderness of Gotham City were becoming more and more common, though her prize each night varied. Most of the time, Selena simply wanted information on the recent murders.

_Just who is this Crow character_, she thought as she slipped out of her black leather jumpsuit and into her dressing gown. _Why is he making it a point to target Gotham's criminals?_

Selina glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nine o' clock exactly.

"I came back earlier than I thought," she said to herself as she put on a bathrobe overtop of her dressing gown.

Just as she had tied it around the waist, there was a crashing of glass and the room was filled with smoke. Then something hit her over the head and knocked her unconscious.

Selina came to an hour later and found herself tied to a chair.

_Damn_, she thought bitterly, _who the hell is behind this?_

She blinked and saw someone standing in front of her. A familiar woman.

"Harley," she said wryly, "to whom do I owe the pleasure?"

"Who else, kitty cat?" said a voice from out of the shadows, followed by a few chuckles. The Joker emerged a second later.

Selina shrugged as best she could. "This is completely uncalled for, Joker. What did I do to you?"

"Oh, nothing much," he laughed. "You see, I had to take you so I could use you as bait." He laughed again.

_What the hell is so funny_? "You're delusional if you think it'll work," Selina then said. "He's not going to come because of me. You should have gone for that other woman."

"Oooh," Joker said amusingly, "that sort of stings a bit. I'm hurt that you don't think you're important enough to lure the bat out here." He walked over to a nearby window. Rain was lashing against it. "I left him a clue, you see."

Harley Quinn put her hands on her hips. "Mister J wants you to sit there nice and quiet, cat."

Suddenly there were a series of yells, thuds, and gunfire from behind a wall on the far side of the room. Then there was silence.

"You can't resist the mewling kitten, can you bats?" Joker said into an intercom. His voice echoed all throughout the complex. "I mean, what would she do if it weren't for you, huh?"

Then Selina saw him. Batman was swooping across the upper levels of the room.

At that moment, Selina felt a tingling sensation followed by a full electric shock. She yelled in surprise and pain.

"Ah, ah, ah, bats," Joker said, chuckling. "You're not laying a finger on this cat until you've answered my questions." He paused. "So you've finally gone off the deep end, eh Batman? Why did you pick crows? I would have thought of your murder symbol being a shark, or a slice of pie with a stick of dynamite sticking out of it…no, is that just me?" Another insane laugh.

Selina was zapped again. Her vision faded out a little bit, and she knew that a concentrated jolt of electricity would kill her. _Great plan, Joker_, she thought as she gritted her teeth.

"Let her go, Joker," said the unmistakable voice of Batman.

"Oh bats," replied the clown. "You really should know me by now."

Selina heard a crash of glass breaking, Joker laughing, and another jolt ran through her. She was beginning to fade out of consciousness.

The last thing she saw was a dark shape grab Harley and send her flying, then she passed out.

Later, she opened her eyes slowly and found herself back in her apartment, lying on her bed. Her body felt stiff. One of her cats was rubbing up against her and purring.

"What the hell just happened?" she asked the empty space.

"You've been through worse, Selina," said Batman's voice. He stepped forward out of the shadows.

"Yeah," Selina replied, "and you've saved me more times than I care to count. I could have handled it myself."

"With your equipment, maybe," the bat replied.

"Thanks anyway," she said. "That happened too fast."

Batman ignored her statement. "Do you know anything about the Crow that's been terrorizing Gotham's criminals?"

Selina raised her eyebrows. "Only that he's the scariest creature in Gotham." She smiled. "Aside from you, of course."

"You're trying to find him." Batman stared right at her. "You're worried that he might come after you."

Shaking her head, Selina said, "Joker sounded pretty sure that it was you. That wasn't really his best plan, by the way."

"He's getting sloppy," said Batman. "I'll find out who this Crow is. In the meantime, do what you can to avoid drawing attention to yourself. I'd hate to hear that you were his next target." He turned to leave.

"That sounds like more than professional concern," Selina said, but he was gone.

Selina just stared out the window and into the rainy night beyond.


	3. Chapter 3

Part Three

Gordon switched off the bat signal. "The Crow killed someone else."

"I know," said Batman's voice from the shadows. "David Matthews, a schizophrenic homicidal Arkham patient."

"I was wondering when he was going to start targeting the psychos," Gordon quipped. "Gotham City is full of them."

Batman thought for a minute. It had been three nights since he rescued Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, from the Joker. Since then the Joker had been sent back to Arkham. It wouldn't hold him for long, and Batman knew it.

"Do we have anything else on him?" Gordon asked Batman.

"I managed to collect a knife from the crime scene," Batman replied. He handed the bagged evidence to Gordon. "It has unique markings and is certainly a custom weapon, but there's nothing on it save the victim's blood."

"It's a start," Gordon then said. He examined the weapon a little closer. An odd curved symbol was engraved in the steel hilt.

"What's your next move?" Gordon asked, but Batman was nowhere in sight. The police commissioner sighed.

The office was flooded with Crane's fear gas. Robin made sure to fix a breath filter mask over his mouth and nose before proceeding inside through the skylight.

"Tim," said Oracle's voice in his ear, "be careful. Scarecrow's thugs occupy the upper three floors of the adjacent building. They're probably armed to the teeth."

"Thanks, Barbara," Robin replied. He carefully made his way through the darkened hallways of the building. The screams and cries of panic from Crane's victims he paid little attention to.

At the end of the hallway were stationed two thugs. One was armed with a baseball bat and the other had a .22 caliber handgun.

_Child's play_, Robin thought. He threw two shurikens with swift motions and dashed up on the thugs with his Bo staff extended and in hand. The shurikens hit their marks and dazed the two men.

Robin twirled the staff and slammed its back end into the shin of the thug carrying the pistol, followed by a swift kick to the back of the head that knocked him unconscious. The other crook swung his bat with all the force he could muster, but Robin merely blocked the blow and kicked the man in the crotch. The force of his swing broke the man's bat and his nose, and subsequently knocked him out as well.

##

Batman scanned the interior of the two buildings. He could see Robin working his way towards the next building, roughly three minutes from making contact with Crane's thugs.

Crane himself was pacing in the upper executive's office, two hostages were behind him, and four of his thugs had guns leveled at them.

_What is his ulterior motive?_ Batman turned his attention to the roof. Two armed thugs were standing lazily on the side of the roof. Both were equipped with thermal imaging goggles.

"Alfred," he said into his cowl's communicator. "Do we have any word yet from Gordon or Arkham's officials?"

"None, sir," was Alfred's reply, "though Arkham staff has been placed on full alert due to Crane's escape."

"This may be another attempt to lure me into confronting him," Batman then said. "Like when Joker kidnapped Catwoman."

"Perhaps, Master Wayne. I urge caution."

Batman looked back at the two thugs on the roof. They were both lying prostrate on the roof. _Unconscious?_

He glided over to the roof of the building that Crane was occupying and quickly examined the two men.

"Alfred!" He exclaimed. "Alert Commissioner Gordon. The Crow is targeting Doctor Crane!"

Robin had quickly dispatched the guards on the lower executive level. He proceeded up the emergency staircase, keeping his wits about him and readying himself for anything.

_The next room is probably crawling with those thugs_, Robin thought._ I'll need to find a different way in_.

He quickly spotted a ventilation shaft above and to his right. Luckily there was no grate.

Robin jumped up towards the shaft and proceeded through to the next room. Through the occasional slits in the shaft, Robin was able to see that he had been correct. There were several thugs patrolling the room and all of them carried assault rifles.

Kicking out the next grate he came to, Robin cleared the ventilator shaft and into the room. At the same time he released several smoke pellets which shrouded the room in a thick fog.

Robin took the men out effortlessly as they fired at the walls and ceiling. Within twenty seconds, the smoke cleared and every thug was unconscious.

_Now for Crane_, he thought.

As Batman swooped into the room, he surprised and quickly disarmed the four henchmen that were guarding the hostages. It only took a few seconds and they were sprawled on the ground.

Then Scarecrow was on him. "Feel the fear, Batman!" He sprayed gas into every corner of the room. Batman hadn't managed to prepare himself in time.

Around him, the room was shifting as if he were submerged in water. Thomas and Martha Wayne's faces seemed to drift out of the shadows and gunshots echoed in his head.

A strong kick from Scarecrow knocked him on the ground. His masked face appeared over Batman's and laughed maniacally.

"Crane," Batman managed to say, "You don't…understand…Crow!"

"That's _Scarecrow_ dark knight," Crane replied. "How does it feel to be surrounded by your worst fears? Are you drowning in a tidal wave of nightmares of your own creation?" He grabbed Batman around the throat. "You will be." He laughed again.

There was a crash and Scarecrow looked up.

"The boy wonder," he said.

Robin readied his Bo staff and tackled into Scarecrow just as a gunshot resounded around the room. One of the windows shattered.

"Crow!" Batman yelled, standing up and trying his best to shake off the effects of Crane's fear toxin.

With two swift punches to Scarecrow's midsection he bowed low, but came up again and tried to catch Robin off guard.

Meanwhile, Batman was attempting to apprehend the other assailant in the room.

Just then, Robin managed to subdue Crane and brought him to his knees. Another masked and caped vigilante jumped out of the broken window with Batman right behind him.

_Deadly is the crow, whose groups are called murder_, Crow thought as he fell from the skyscraper. The bat was right behind him.

Batman reached him and grabbed the Crow around his midsection. They landed with a long slide on another building rooftop. A loud bang resounded around Gotham as Batman confronted the murderer.

"It's over, Crow," said Batman. "You won't escape this time."

"I don't want to fight you, Batman," the Crow replied. "The criminals of Gotham need to be punished. This way, they won't be a problem ever again."

"Most of them don't have any choice. You can't kill them." Batman paused and began walking toward the Crow. "I won't let you."

"Then in what way," Crow sighed, "are you better than them?"

The Crow launched two swift blows that Batman easily blocked. Crow dodged the dark knight's kick and ducked under his hand as it swiped the air where his head had been.

For several minutes, the two vigilantes exchanged and dodged blows. They were evenly matched.

Robin glided over the rooftops of Gotham, searching for Batman. He had left Scarecrow for the GCPD and released the hostages. Now he needed to find out who Batman had been chasing.

A loud bang from an explosion had sounded a few seconds ago, but from where Robin didn't know.

"Tim," said Oracle in his earpiece. "I've managed to isolate the source of the explosion. It came from the Bowery."

"Any idea who's behind it?" Robin asked her.

"According to GCPD reports," Oracle replied. "There's Joker toxin all over the district."

Robin scanned nearby rooftops for a sign of Batman. "That can't be right. Batman apprehended him after he kidnapped Catwoman."

"Exactly, and that's what worries me," Oracle said.

Then he saw them. Batman and Crow were fighting on the roof of a building adjacent to Wayne Tower. Robin made a beeline for them immediately.

As Batman blocked another blow, the Crow said, "We are two evenly matched adversaries Batman. This fight will get us nowhere."

At that moment, a murder of crows descended from out of nowhere. Crow broke off and jumped into the darkness, escaping Batman's sight.

When the birds all cleared away, the Crow was gone.

"Who was that?" asked Robin's voice.

"The Crow," Batman replied. "He was targeting Crane tonight."

"Why?"

Batman looked up at the crows as they flew away. "That remains to be seen."


	4. Chapter 4

Part Four

"Good Evening, Gotham," Vicki Vale told the camera, addressing the city. "This is Vicki Vale, here live outside the Bowery district where a massive explosion has just torn through a quarter of the district. So far the Gotham Police have been unable to determine the exact number of people that were killed or injured as the streets are said to be flooded with deadly green gas. It is unconfirmed whether or not it is Joker toxin, but authorities have locked down all streets into the district."

A large shadow passed overhead at that moment, and the camera panned up to catch a quick glimpse of Batman swooping toward the Bowery.

Vicki glanced up for a split second. "It seems that Batman is infiltrating the district as we speak. What will happen? Will he discover the cause of the explosion? Will he apprehend the one responsible? We'll be live and bringing you all of the latest news as it happens."

# # #

Batman's first observation was that the Bowery was covered in the thick green gas (perhaps Joker toxin). All of the people within the low hanging cloud of green smoke were dead.

He ran his eyes over the scene below from atop a high building overlooking the slums. There were several individuals moving around within the gas, but they weren't victims.

_They're probably wearing gas masks_, thought Batman. Fixing his own gas mask on, he jumped off of the building and swooped beneath the gas.

As he had expected, Batman couldn't see a great distance within the green smog. He began to silently take out one of the men in the fog and was surprised to see a green question mark on his already green uniform.

_Riddler_.

Batman examined a nearby victim. The face wasn't contorted into a Joker-like grin, but the eyes were wide with shock.

"Batman," said the voice of Edward Nigma from everywhere at once. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you fell into this trap so easily. It is to be expected from such a predictable mind as yours."

More of Riddler's thugs materialized out of the green smoke around Batman. This would be easy.

_Too easy_, Batman thought, _there's more to this._

"What are you after, Riddler?" Batman asked into the air, hoping that the Riddler would respond. He did.

"Telling you that would deprive me of the enjoyment of watching you fail while searching for the answer, wouldn't it?" Riddler laughed. "Don't feel too confident here, Dark Knight. Should these poor ignorant buffoons fall unconscious, I'll instantly deliver a fatal electric shock to their insignificant bodies."

Batman snarled. _Another of the Riddler's sick games_. Several of the thugs took swings at him. He weaved within around their arms and delivered several strong blows that would take them down but leave them conscious.

He dove out of the crowd of thugs and grappled up to a nearby rooftop. A few more henchmen were waiting for him. He quickly dove off the roof backwards, redirected himself, and snapped open his cape.

"Alfred," Batman said. "Riddler's the one behind the disaster in the Bowery. I need to find him."

"_One moment, sir_."

Batman kept himself airborne while he waited on Alfred's response. Then he heard, "_I'm rather surprised, Master Wayne. Mister Nigma has used a rather weak encryption on his signal. I daresay that he wants to be found._"

"It can't be that simple."

Later, Batman swooped through a window and tackled the Riddler to the ground.

"It's over, Riddler!" Batman declared. It was only then that he realized his folly.

"Did you think I would let you find me that easily, Dark Knight?" Riddler's condescending tones resounded throughout the room. "I rather hoped that the Crow would come looking for me, but killing you will be the next best thing."

Batman quickly scanned the room. _The room is wired with bombs!_ He quickly turned around and dove back out the way he had come in with an explosion at his back.

# # #


	5. Chapter 5

Part Five

"Alfred, the Riddler is dead."

"_I'm sure this is good news, Master Bruce_," Alfred replied. "_After all, you didn't kill him yourself._"

Batman had been tracking Riddler for two days. It was now late autumn, and the Crow had been at large for several weeks.

"No evidence," Detective Tasha Donnel told Commissioner Gordon. "It's the same thing over and over again. How are we going to catch this guy?"

Gordon sighed. "I don't know, detective. Perhaps we'll get lucky and he'll slip up eventually."

Batman remained deep in thought, oblivious to much of the outside world as he pondered the Crow and his past murders.

"_Batman_," said Oracle's voice. "_You're going to want to hear this. There's a commotion going on down at Grand Avenue. Sources say that Catwoman is trying to deal with the Crow_."

Batman was gone without a word.

# # #

There was silence.

Catwoman listened hard but couldn't hear anything except the distant sounds of Gotham City.

A shadow rushed up on her and she barely had time to dodge a blade as it swiped at the area where her head used to be.

"Shouldn't you be trying to kill the other criminals in Gotham?" Selina asked the Crow. "I'm the least of your worries."

"Crime is crime," was all that the Crow said. He launched a few rapid punches at Selina, but she managed to evade them with relative ease. She flipped backward to dodge a sweep of his leg.

"At least try," she chuckled.

"This would end a lot sooner if you'd just give up," replied the Crow bitterly.

Catwoman rolled her shoulders. "Where's the fun in that?"

The Crow charged forward and unleashed a series of quick attacks that Catwoman could barely dodge, but one of her return kicks made it past his guard. Then she felt a sharp sting as his blade sliced across her right side. Another blade strike hit her shoulder, but she managed to roll away from him and escape to the shadows that the other buildings cast on the rooftop.

"Hiding won't make it easier on you, Catwoman," Crow called cheerfully. "I'm doing Gotham a favor."

Catwoman ran and jumped off of the rooftop and used her whip to swing up to another adjacent building. Once she had cleared the edge of the roof, she looked back at where she had come from.

The Crow was gone.

_Guess he gave up_, she thought as she turned around.

The Crow surprised her and plunged his knife deep into her gut. "I'm doing Gotham a favor," he repeated as her vision began to fade. Then he let her fall over the edge.

As she fell, something grabbed her and stopped her fall, but her vision was fading too fast for her to tell exactly what it was.

Selina tried to focus, but slipped into unconsciousness.

# # #

Batman laid Catwoman down on a metal table in the Batcave. Alfred examined her as he did so.

"I see you've managed to stop the bleeding," he said to Batman. "It looks as though the blade missed her vital organs. I should be able to get the wound healed, but not past her suit."

"Do what you have to," Batman replied. They quickly removed Catwoman's black leather one piece outfit and Alfred set to work on healing her wound.

"Oracle," Batman said into his cowl communicator. "I managed to rescue Catwoman, but she took a few nasty wounds in her fight with the Crow. He almost managed to kill her. Have there been any other sightings?"

"_None, I'll let you know if anything comes up_," replied Oracle.

# # #

Selina opened her eyes slowly. _I'm alive?_ She thought as she regained her senses. The first thing she felt was a chill.

She looked down at herself and wasn't surprised to see that she was naked. Selina was only able to tell because of the minimal lighting that surrounded her. The walls and ceiling looked to be made of rock.

_Okay_, she said to herself, _I'm cold, naked, and I'm stuck in some cave…how did I get here?_

Selina stood up slowly so that she wouldn't fall over. She still felt weak from the knife wound that she had taken from the Crow. Her hand absently fell on a bathrobe that was lying next to where she had been. She put it on without a second thought.

"You're looking well," said a familiar voice from the shadows.

_Batman_, she thought. "I suppose I have you to thank for that," she said. "How long have you been standing in the…actually, forget it." Selina sat down on the table she had been lying on. "Where's the Crow?"

"Gone," replied Batman. "It would seem that he's after you now."

"No kidding," said Selina. "I can probably stay out of his way."

"By now he knows everything about you, Selina," Batman's voice said. "He knows where you live, who your connections are, everything. Before he engaged you, he had just finished murdering the Riddler."

"Should I feel bad about that?" Selina inquired.

"No," Batman said, "but you need to know the facts."

Then more lights started to switch on around the cave. By the light that was coming on around them, Selina could finally see where the bat was standing. Except that it wasn't Batman, it was…

"Billionaire Bruce Wayne?" She exclaimed, thunderstruck.

"I'm not taking chances anymore, Catwoman," Wayne said. "You're the only one I can protect."


	6. Chapter 6

Part Six

Selina Kyle was safe back at Wayne Manor, most likely still trying to understand how Batman was Bruce Wayne. In the meantime, Batman had decided to pursue another lead on the Crow's possible connections.

The League of Assassins.

He found the entrance to their Gotham hideaway with no effort as he had been there before. Inside was a long corridor that looked dilapidated and was dimly lit.

Batman hadn't taken two steps when he felt the shadows move.

The assassins attacked from all four sides at once. Bruce gauged the situation in under a second.

_Low strike from the left._

_High strikes from the front and front right._

_The assassin behind me is looking to charge into me with her sword, and the others are standing in the shadows just in case their allies need assistance._

Batman braced himself. When they were on him, he twirled. His foot blocked the blade of the assassin on the left while he grabbed the arm of the one on the right. He picked up the woman he'd grabbed and slung her in an arc. She ended up across the room, and her allies that had surrounded Batman were on the ground.

Another assassin jumped at him. She swung, and Batman blocked the swing with the blades on his gloves. With a swipe of both arms, the blade was broken. He slammed his fist into her face, grabbed her throat, and delivered a judo slam that knocked her unconscious.

Batman systematically eliminated the ninjas one by one until all twenty-five of them were on the ground.

"You haven't lost your touch, Bruce," said a familiar voice. Batman looked up and found Talia al Ghul approaching him. She was wearing a simple black skirt and elegant jewelry, but it didn't look extravagant.

"Talia-" She cut him off with a kiss, as she usually did. "-I need to know more about the Crow."

"The man who is hunting down Gotham's criminals and giving them their just reward?" Talia asked. "I had hoped it was you under a different name."

"You know me, Talia," Batman said.

"Only too well, Bruce," replied she. Talia looked around at her unconscious personal guard. "You could have easily killed them all, but you didn't."

"You of all people should understand why by now," Batman said in response. "Does the Crow work for the League of Assassins?"

"No, he doesn't," Talia said bluntly. "I should've known that you would come here first in search of answers, beloved."

"I need to find this man," Batman said, "and I don't have any leads. He leaves no evidence, he's silent and efficient." He looked right at Talia. "Why wouldn't I look here first?"

Talia smirked. "So I see, but I'm afraid I have no more answers for you than you already have. Seen as how he targets Gotham's most notorious criminals, I would keep my eye on them."

# # #

The Crow scanned the Gotham skyline from atop the Wayne Enterprises tower. Crime was running rampant in this city, and only he could put an end to it once and for all.

He jumped off of the building and dove straight down. There was only one thing to do. The Crow would have to make his attacks more frequent.

Already, he saw a mugging in progress. Landing in the alleyway, the Crow pulled out a silenced .22 pistol and put bullets in the heads of two of the assailants. He killed the other one with several swift strikes to his head and torso.

He was gone without another word, off to find another group of criminals. In Gotham, he didn't have to look far.

# # #

Joker looked out the window over all of Amusement Mile. Tonight, he would have the last laugh. Harley and his new squad of thugs had rigged special bombs containing Joker toxin all over North Gotham. At his word, the whole district would be finished.

"When do I hit the button, sweetie?" Harley asked cheerfully.

Joker grinned ever wider. "Now."

There were massive explosions all over North Gotham, and people began to scream and panic.

_This is only the beginning_, Joker thought. He looked at his wrist watch. It was only seven-thirty in the evening.

"Let's get everyone down into the lower levels of the city," Joker said to Harley. "We've got a populace to terrorize." As his final move, he left a Joker card on the floor where he had been standing.

"I'll keep ya busy tonight, Bats!" He said cheerfully to himself.

Half an hour later, Batman picked up the Joker card. The Joker himself was long gone.

As Batman looked out the window, he thought he could hear the Joker's distant laughter.


	7. Chapter 7

Part Seven

"Gordon," said Batman into his cowl communicator, "Joker's detonating bombs around the city. They're filled with his Joker toxin."

"_Do you know where any of them are?"_

"I just disabled one in the financial district," Batman replied. "I'll get back to you if I find any others."

A burst of static cut through the comm at that moment. _"What are you afraid of most, Batman? We'll find out soon as I am going to flood Gotham with fear gas in three hours. The clock is ticking, Dark Knight."_

# # #

Selina checked her suit to make sure that everything was in order and working properly, then perched herself on one of the high balconies of Wayne Manor. She looked out at Gotham City in the distance, where Batman was busy trying to deal with Joker, Scarecrow, and so many other rogues that belonged in Arkham Asylum.

_He can't do it alone_, Selina thought.

"Miss Kyle," said Alfred Pennyworth from behind her, "I implore you to reconsider your decision. Your wounds haven't fully healed and they'll only slow you down. It may get you killed."

"He needs help, Alfred," replied Selina.

"I assure you that Master Bruce has the situation under control," Alfred implored. "If he needs help, Mister Drake is always on hand."

"Robin won't be enough," Selina sighed. "I know it's dangerous, but you're not going to talk me out of this."

"Then you should at least take the motor bike," Alfred told her, tossing her a set of keys, which she caught.

Ten minutes later, she was speeding towards Gotham City at a speed of around eighty miles per hour. Already she could see lights flashing over the skyline.

_Time is running out._

# # #

Batman looked down on the scene below. Gordon and his unit were engaged in a firefight with several of Joker's goons. There was a bomb nearby, but the thugs were guarding it.

"_Bombs away!"_ Joker laughed in a broadcast over all of Gotham's airwaves. An explosion resounded somewhere far away. Joker laughed again. "_I'm just waiting for you to come and find me, Bats!_"

Focusing again on the thugs that Gordon's men were fighting, Batman released two batarangs and swooped down on one of the other men. Using the nearby shadows to his advantage, he weaved between the thugs and dispatched them with little effort.

"Gordon," Batman said into his comm, "this area's secure. I've got a lock on Joker's signal. He's in the Gotham subway system."

"_Good luck, Batman_," Gordon replied, but Batman was already moving.

# # #

Several shots rang out in the Gotham underground. Four people were dead and the rest of the crowd was running for street level.

"That's a shame," Joker sighed, "and I still had a few shots left too." He laughed.

Harley tossed him a radio and Joker clicked it on.

"Bombs away!" He yelled into the comm. A button clicked and another bomb detonated above ground. "I'm just waiting for you to come and find me, Bats!"

Just as Joker began to move toward a train, there was a crash from overhead and one of his goons came sliding down the ramp that led to the street level.

"I'll keep the bat busy, sweetie," Harley said cheerfully. She leveled her assault rifle at the ramp, but kept her eyes on the shadows.

"I'll leave you to it, m'dear," Joker said. Then he turned to his goons. "Who's gonna stay with her?" He looked between his men. "Eeny, meeny, mynie…oh the hell with it…you two are staying." He indicated the two thugs standing nearest to Harley. The other four goons joined Joker as he boarded a train.

# # #

Crow watched as the subway train sped off down the tunnel, carrying Joker with it. He had missed his chance, but there was still a way to redeem himself.

"Scarecrow," he whispered to himself. _But first_, he then thought, _I need to deal with Harley Quinn_.

The Crow drew his silenced .22 pistol with his right hand and a knife with his left. He spun into action, taking out one of the goons with a single shot to the head, and he threw his knife into the neck of the other.

"Surprise, surprise," Harley said happily. "The Crow flies again." She dodged the Crow's gunshots with ease and fired back from near the ramp.

Though he dodged most of the bullets, one of them grazed his arm. Crow ignored the sting and jumped at her. Harley dodged his kick and sent one of her own into the side of his head.

Crow quickly redirected himself and feinted a low kick. When Harley dodged his leg, she ran directly into his left fist. He followed up with two bullets to her gut and head respectively.

"Now to deal with Crane," He told himself as he walked out of the subway terminal.

# # #

There was no sign of the Crow, but Batman did find Harley Quinn's body in the subway terminal where Joker had been not fifteen minutes ago.

"Oracle, Joker's mobile," Batman said into his cowl comm, "and the Crow has taken out Harley Quinn. I need to stop both of them before they can do anymore damage."

"_Hold on, I'm getting something here."_ There was static on Oracle's end. _"The Joker is moving fast, but his train is probably going to stop at the station in the Financial District, where you just came from."_

"Thanks, Oracle." There was a click, and then another. _Someone's listening in on this frequency._

Batman shrugged it off and was on his way again. The Batmobile was still parked where he had left it.

A few minutes later, he was back in the Financial District. The police had failed to cordon off the district, and a few of Joker's thugs were setting up a bomb outside the subway terminal.

Exiting the Batmobile, Batman easily dispatched them with a few deft strikes.

"_Perhaps I'll drown Gotham in its own worst fears sooner rather than later,"_ said Crane's voice through the comm.

Batman was just about to enter the subway terminal when he heard the sound of a motor bike engine. He turned to see Catwoman striding toward him.

"Selina, what are you doing here," he demanded, "I have this situation under control."

"That's not what it looks like from where I'm standing," Catwoman replied. "You need help, Bruce…and you know it."

"Your wounds can't be fully healed," Batman told her.

"I can still move without straining myself overmuch," said Selina, "and anyway, that's not what's important right now. The Joker and Scarecrow both have this city on edge and to make matters worse, the Crow is sniffing around trying to kill the both of them."

Batman said nothing.

"The Scarecrow is obviously the bigger threat, and Crow knows it," Catwoman went on. "He'll be going for Crane before Joker, and that means that you have to be there to stop him."

"Someone needs to deal with Joker," Batman said.

"Let me deal with the clown," replied Selina.

Batman shook his head. "I can't. It's too dangerous. You know what he's like."

Selina grinned. "Come on, Detective, I can handle him. I know how he works and I know how to deal with a threat like him. I stopped Harley Quinn once before."

"Harley Quinn is dead," Batman said, "and she is nothing compared to Joker."

"Listen, Bruce. The longer we stand here debating this problem, the closer the Crow gets to Crane, the closer Crane gets to flooding Gotham with fear toxin, and the closer Joker gets to doing whatever the hell he's planning."

Batman considered what she said for a few seconds, then said, "Be careful, Selina." With that he was gone.

_I'm coming for you Crow!_


	8. Chapter 8

Part Eight

"Time is running out for Gotham City," said Scarecrow cheerfully into his communicator that was linked to Batman's comm system. "Soon, fear and madness will take this hellhole of a city into oblivion. Come and find me, Dark Knight…if you dare!"

Scarecrow had been taunting Batman for the last two and a half hours. Now, only fifteen minutes were left on the countdown timer to his left.

Gotham City was doomed. Batman wouldn't be able to stop the Scarecrow in time, and when he did arrive the bombs would blow anyway.

Suddenly, Crane heard a few sparking noises behind him. He turned to see the infamous Crow assassin walking toward him. Crane laughed.

As the Crow leaped toward him, electrical security fields activated. These left the Crow on the ground, but he was rising fast. In response, Crane rushed up on him and slammed his foot into the Crow's head. Then he activated the electrical fields again.

The Crow looked up at Crane, who chuckled.

"Tell me," he then said, "what the Crow fears most." He shot a concentrated burst of fear toxin into the Crow's face. "A _Scarecrow!_" He yelled the last word as another crash sounded from above.

# # #

Catwoman was barely able to get on board the Joker's train before it took off down the rails again. Most of Joker's thugs were unconscious, save the two that were with him at the head of the train.

"How many lives do you have left, kitty cat?" Joker's voice asked over the train's PA system.

_Just enough to take you down, Joker_, thought Selina. She still had no idea what the Joker was planning, but odds were high that it involved this train and a lot of explosives.

She moved from car to car at a slower pace than was necessary, keeping wary of anything the Joker might have set as a trap. It was his usual custom.

As she neared the cockpit, she found Joker's two guards. They were ready for her.

"Catwoman!" One of them yelled. They leveled assault rifles.

Selina jumped out the window to her left and grabbed a bar next to it. Climbing up to the top of the train, she used her claws to keep herself from falling off.

Her wounds were throbbing from the effort. _Great_, she thought, _I need to finish this quickly._

# # #

Batman quickly disabled Crane's remote detonation system, but the Scarecrow was gone. He obviously felt that he couldn't deal with Batman and the Crow at the same time.

The Crow was no doubt succumbing to the fear gas, but he was still able to focus.

"I've had enough of these interruptions, Batman!" He yelled, shaking his head. "This was my chance to finish off Crane!"

"This isn't the way to fight crime," Batman replied fiercely. "If you kill them, how are you any better than they are?"

"Simple," Crow said. "I'm faster, stronger, and deadlier than they are."

"You're nothing more than another murderer." Batman took a step forward. "Come to your senses."

"This has to end, Batman," replied the Crow. He jumped forward, knife in hand. Batman grabbed his arm, punched him in the gut, and threw him into a window to the right. The Crow fell through and Batman followed. They landed on an adjacent rooftop.

The fall was short, and the Crow was back on his feet quickly. He shook his head again and staggered. The fear toxin was still getting to him, and it was getting worse. Batman took advantage and delivered a few solid hits to the Crow, knocking him to the ground.

Once again, the Crow rose quickly.

"It'll take more than that," the Crow managed to say, "to stop me."

# # #

Catwoman got the drop on the two gun wielding thugs and took them down, though it did require effort due to her injuries.

"What are you planning to do, Catwoman," Joker said mockingly. "You know there's no stopping me."

"We'll see," Selina replied.

"You're no Batman, that's for sure," Joker said, pointing a gun at her. Selina took cover behind a wall as he started shooting. He emptied a clip and began to reload. She tossed a bola at his hand, where it wrapped around his fingers and wrists and knocked the gun out of his hand.

Catwoman then dashed up and kicked Joker hard in the gut. Joker dodged her next strike and punched her in the gut.

Despite the pain from her wounds, Catwoman recovered quickly and unleashed a series of blows to the Joker's head and torso that left him on the ground.

"So ya beat me," Joker said, spitting out a tooth. "Well good luck stoppin' this steel missile in time, kitty-cat. Once it hits the break point, KABOOM!" He laughed his usual laugh.

Selina jumped into the pilot's center and pulled the brake. It wouldn't budge. Acting quickly, she knelt down and found the train's power cords, promptly cutting them. Power in the train immediately began to shut down as the lights overhead flickered.

Then the train jolted and the gears began to squeal. The Joker just continued to laugh.

# # #

The Crow fell to his knees. He couldn't fight anymore and he knew it. Batman grabbed him by the front of his suit.

"I will know who you are," Batman growled as he pulled the mask off of the Crow's face.

"No…"

Batman was looking into the face of none other than Dick Grayson. "The time has come, Batman, for the criminal underworld to be taken down."

"Not this way," replied Batman. "This isn't what I taught you."

"I had to learn the hard way," Dick said bitterly. "You were never willing to accept the painful truth."

Dick twisted out of Batman's grip. He jumped over the edge of the rooftop. Batman followed and grabbed him around the midsection.

"This has to end now," Dick said. He pressed a button on his suit. Batman released Dick, and a half-second later Grayson's suit generated a fatal electric shock that would have bypassed even the batsuit's resistances.

Batman and Dick hit the ground hard. Only one was still alive.

Struggling to his feet, Batman called in the Batmobile. Catwoman still needed help.

# # #

Selina looked out of her apartment window at Gotham City's lower streets. The sun was just beginning to rise, and the chaos of the previous night was over.

"Are you surprised that it was Dick Grayson, Bruce?" she asked Batman, who she knew was in the room.

"No," replied Batman, who was concealed in shadow. "I was saddened by the revelation. It never struck me that Dick Grayson would fall over the edge."

Selina turned to where she knew he was. "That could've easily been you, you know. You're easily as susceptible as Nightwing was."

"Crane escaped," Batman replied. "The city is still in danger."

Selina shrugged. "Joker's incarcerated in Arkham, Harley and Riddler are dead, and Gotham City is reeling from last night's chaos." She raised her eyebrows. "You might just have your work cut out for you."

Batman disappeared out another window on the other side of the room. Selina smiled after him and resumed looking out the window.

Gotham was going to be forever changed. The good news was that she would be a part of it.


End file.
